Gaza basketball player killed by Israel while seeking medicine for his daughter

One of Gaza's most prominent basketball players was shot dead by Israeli forces this week while queuing for aid in Khan Younis, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Mohammed Shaalan, 40, was killed while seeking food and medicine for his daughter, Mariam, who suffers from kidney failure and severe blood poisoning.

The Palestinian Basketball Federation confirmed his death on Facebook. The sports body described Shaalan as “one of the brightest stars of the game in Palestine”.

“Mohammad, nicknamed 'the Earthquake' on the court, fell as a martyr to hunger and deprivation, leaving behind six children, including his six-year-old daughter Mariam, who suffers from kidney failure and blood poisoning, struggling alone with an uncertain fate after her father’s tragic death,” wrote the federation.

“Mohammad Shaalan has now joined the long list of Palestinian basketball martyrs – players, coaches, and officials – who were killed during the ongoing Israeli aggression against our people, his name forever engraved in the memory of Palestinian sports.”

The former national team player and father had been desperately appealing for his daughter to receive medical treatment for her illness, reported Wafa.

With her father gone, “Mariam is still waiting for treatment and mercy”, said the federation.

Israel's war on Gaza has heavily destroyed the enclave's health sector, destroying medical centres and personnel. Most hospitals in Gaza are in ruins.

Shaalan is the latest of hundreds killed at aid distribution centres in the strip. An investigation by The National has unveiled a pattern of systematic killings of Palestinians attempting to collect aid. More than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed while waiting to receive humanitarian assistance, at least 900 of them near sites run by the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the UN said.

Shaalan played for several local clubs as well as the national team. He won two Premier League titles, a Gaza Strip Cup Championship and two Super Cup Championships. His death deals another blow to the Palestinian sports community.

Earlier this month, Israel killed Gaza footballer Suleiman Al Obaid, known as the “Pele of Palestine”, while he was also waiting for humanitarian aid in Rafah.

The Palestinian Football Association said Al Obaid, 41, was shot dead while queuing for food at an aid distribution centre in southern Gaza.

He was regarded as one of the most talented attacking midfielders in the Gaza Strip League.

Nearly 800 Palestinian athletes and sports officials in Gaza and the occupied West Bank have been killed by Israel since October 2023, according to the association. Israeli forces have also destroyed 288 sports and scouting centres across the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, Wafa said.